It always takes two to tango. A player and a team will need to come to a contractual agreement before he can suit up for said team. At one point in their football-playing lives, these three men played for the one-of-a-kind NFC South franchise that is the Atlanta Falcons. While all three had varying levels of success playing for the Dirty Birds, all of whom find themselves unemployed in NFL circles.
With the arrival of June 1, players can now be cut at a discounted rate in some capacities to allow for further roster calibrations. That might afford any of these players in question enough wiggle room to sign on with a team, the Falcons or whomever. Despite it being this late into NFL free agency, there are so many recognizable names out there to be had on the open market. NFL means Not For Long.
So what I am going to do today is highlight three former Falcons stars who I am honestly quite surprised are still on the open market. Yes, there are a plethora of factors regarding all three players for why they are in their current situation. Could any of them be out of the league? Potentially, but I think there is room for all three of these veteran playmakers to get at least one more NFL season.
Let's start with a talented, but often-injured, hard-hitting safety Dan Quinn once recruited at Florida.
3. S Keanu Neal
Keanu Neal was the No. 17 overall pick by the Falcons in the 2016 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he played in Super Bowl 51. By year two in the league, he was a star in the secondary coming off his first Pro Bowl nod. However, a pair of injury-ravaged seasons in 2018 and 2019 led to him being out of Atlanta after his fifth-year contract season in 2020. Neal has found health the last four seasons, but not stability.
He has played on four teams in the last four years: The 2020 Falcons, the 2021 Dallas Cowboys, the 2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers. Still on the good side of 30, you have to wonder if Neal has another season or two left in the tank to get to 10 in his career. His body has taken a beating professionally, but in the right rotational role, he can be of great service to someone.
I doubt Neal would come back to Atlanta, but you have to wonder if he will find a place to play in a bit.
2. WR Russell Gage
We have not seen the last of Russell Gage in an NFL uniform. The former sixth-round pick by the Falcons out of LSU was an excellent complementary receiver in Atlanta during his rookie contract. In the wake of Calvin Ridley scandal, Gage quickly became one of Matt Ryan's favorite targets in Atlanta. Surely, the Falcons wanted to keep him, but he got the bag from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022.
Although Gage had a career-best five touchdown catches with Tampa Bay in 2022, his production went down otherwise. To add insult to injury, he tore his patellar tendon in training camp last year and missed all of the 2023 campaign. Like Keanu Neal, he is still on the good side of 30, but injuries have taken a toll on him of late. I doubt that his career is over, but he may have to wait to be signed here.
Prior to the Rondale Moore trade with Arizona, Gage would have been a great fit back with Atlanta.
1. DE Calais Campbell
This really comes down to if Calais Campbell wants to still play football. Surely, the Falcons would love for the former Walter Payton Man of the Year to close out his hall-of-fame career in Atlanta. Campbell is pushing 40, but was still playing at a very high level for his standards last season. He led the team in sacks and played in all 17 games. His first sack in a Falcons uniform was No. 100 of his playing career.
Outside of Atlanta, Campbell could conceivably reunite with any of his former teams: Arizona, Jacksonville or Baltimore. The man is universally beloved. Odds are that he doesn't want to add any unnecessary wear and tear on his body during lengthy training camps. If he has kept himself in good shape, he could be ready to rock come Week 1. He still has a Super Bowl to win if he really wants to.
Campbell is a great ambassador for the game, and I wish him the very best in whatever he does.
